Tangariki Reete disappointed Kiribati failed to establish Ministry for Women and Youth
24th August, 2012
Kiribati National Parliament
Kiribati’s National Council of Women is meeting with both government and opposition MPs today after an attempt to set up a new ministry for women and youth failed.
The bill to amend the constitution, which is needed before the ministry can be established, was defeated during the second reading last week.
Tangariki Reete says she’s disappointed it failed, but says the Government didn’t do enough to convince its MPs to push the bill through its second reading.
“The Government did not well clarify the meaning of the Bill, and what was the main objective of that Bill, and all those things. One of the things that the Opposition raised was that they were concerned about the budget for the [proposed] Ministry. They wanted that to be fully explained: the Government did not give that.”
The MP Tangariki Reete says she and a number of other officials will be meeting with the National Council of Women to discuss their next move.
[Radio New Zealand International]
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Kiribati Government Fails To Establish Ministry For Women, Youth
Women’s group blames opposition for killing bill.
TARAWA, Kiribati (Kiribati Independent, Aug. 19, 2012) – Kiribati government’s attempt to set up a new ministry for women and youth has failed. The second reading of government’s Bill to amend the Constitution was defeated last week. The Constitution needs to be amended before the ministry is established. Government requires 2/3 of the total votes in the house to pass the Bill. However, 30 MPs, mainly from the government’s side supported the second reading, 14 opposition MPs voted against it and four MPs were absent.
Kiribati Women Association (AMAK) was disappointed with the outcome of the vote and accused the opposition party for killing this Bill.
Opposition leader MP Tetabo Nakara says it’s rare to see government’s Bill being defeated in parliament because they have the majority in the house. But Tetabo told the national newspaper Te Uekera that government should take the blame because it has failed to mobilise support for this Bill among its MPs. He says only two MPs were required to pass the Bill. Had the four MPs turned up on the day the second reading was debated in parliament, this Bill could have passed.
[Kiribati Independent via Pacific Islands Development Program, East-West Center, PIDP]